PHOTOSYNTHETIC ACTIVITY AS A MEASURE OF VIABILITY IN MICROALGAE

Abstract

The photosynthetic activity as measured by the light fixation of ¹⁴CO₂ by intact cells has been shown to be a measure of viability of microalgae. This method can be conveniently employed to examine the cell viability change in non-growing systems. Comparative studies on heat and UV sensitivities of various algae were carried out using this method.